Keeping Tempo November 2009

Volume 1, Number 2 November 2009

YOBC Wind Symphony to Play Side-by-Side Concert with Bucks County Symphony

Inside this issue: New Alumni Pages on YOBC Website

2

Conductors’ Notes: The Competition

2

Student Spotlight: Melissa Lu

3

Notes from the Executive Director: Choosing to Succeed

3

Meet Nicole Lambert, YOBC Flute Instructor

4

Important Dates: 



Thursday, November 19, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Advanced Division Dress Rehearsals, Sandburg Middle School.

Friday, November 20, 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM: Junior and Intermediate Division Dress Rehearsals, Sandburg Middle School.



Saturday, November 21, YOBC Fall Concerts: Junior and Intermediate Division, 2:00 PM ; Advanced Division, 8:00 PM.



Sunday, December 6, Wind Symphony performs with Bucks County Symphony, 3:00 PM.

YOBC Wind Symphony (Intermediate Division) will be performing a side -by-side concert with the Bucks County Symphony at their annual Youth Concert. The Wind Symphony will be accompanying Carol Jantsch, 23year-old principal tubist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, on “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “Seventy-Six Trombones.” The concert will take place on Sunday, December 6 at 3:00 PM at Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown.

Recently Gabe Franc, YOBC’s principal tubist, interviewed Carol Jantsch who he is lucky to have as his private teacher.

Q: According to your website, you come from a musical family.

Can you tell me a little about your family background and how you got involved in music?

A. My parents met in the Cleveland Symphony chorus—my mom is a voice teacher and my dad is a

doctor. They signed me and my brother up for piano lessons when I was six and he was eight.

Q. When did you decide to play the tuba?

What made you did you choose the tuba?

A. I started euphonium at 9 and tried out tuba at 12, and never looked back.

Q. Did you play any other instruments when you were young?

Do you still play any other instruments?

A. I still play piano from time to time. I actually played carillon in college, but it is hard to get access to a bell tower!

Q. Do you think that

tubists need to have a special sense of humor?

A. Yes. Q. What was the most interesting place you’ve played?

A. The Musikverein in Vienna is cool because the wood in the floor is original, and you can imagine how many incredible works were premiered on that same wood.

Q. Who was your most memorable audience?

A. BBC Proms in London—6,000 people in the audience, including standing-room only!!

Continued on page 2

Carol Jantsch, principal tubist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, will be the featured performer at the December 6 side-by-side concert of Bucks County Symphony and YOBC’s Wind Symphony

Carol Jantsch Continued from page 1

Q. How is the Philadelphia Orchestra like other orchestras you’ve played in?

A. It is actually a lot easier to play in the Philadelphia Orchestra than it was in my college orchestra.

I remember going back to school after playing here and thinking, “why can’t I play in tune?!”

Q. What challenges do you have at PO? A. I’m still learning how to schedule practice around performing four times a week.

Q. Have you ever been a part of the Tuba Christmas event?

A. Yes!! I love Tuba Christmas!!!

Q. Do you still take lessons or are you “done”?

A. I have taken one or two lessons since I started the job, and I do play for people once in a while. It’s hard being your own teacher!! I’m still getting used to it.

Q. How often do you practice and for how long?

A. Pretty much every day, and for as long as it takes! :) Gabe Franc is the Principal Tubist in YOBC’s Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra.

YOBC Website, Facebook Offer Alumni Pages YOBC is a family and membership in our community doesn’t end when you graduate. Our YOBC website now offers an Alumni page where you can read about other alumni, relive YOBC experiences with old photos, purchase YOBC logo gear, and get updates on YOBC happenings. We are also on Facebook, and we invite all former and CURRENT members to join us at YOBCalumni Coordinator where there are currently over 150 friends to reconnect with.

Conductors’ Notes: The Competition I was 16 years old, starting my junior year in high school. I was going to be a serious horn player. I joined every musical group I could find. I signed up for state auditions for the all-state festival and was practicing at least two hours a day. Then I heard about a solo competition open to juniors in high school. Four winners would be picked and given an all-expenses paid trip to New York City for a week. I had four months to prepare and started to learn a Mozart horn Concerto.

There were two things that I had to do to participate: the solo had to be accompanied and it had to be performed from memory. My band director helped me find a student who was fine pianist and was willing to accompany me for free.

Performing without music was tougher. I had never played anything without music and was clueless as to how to memorize an entire concerto. So I started practicing the concerto over and over, but I was still very concerned about learning to play and come in with an accompanist. Then it hit me. I had an LP (an ancient form of recording on a vinyl disc) of a very famous horn player performing the Page 2

same concerto with an orchestra. So I started to listen to the record every day over and over and over. As the competition drew closer, I was still having trouble memorizing the piece.

Then I thought, “Aha! I need to play my horn with the record.” So I started to play along with the record again and again and again….

A few days before the competition, my band director asked me to play the solo for him with my accompanist to help us get ready. We

The best way to improve your musicianship and love of music is to listen to good music. played and I tried to play from memory only. There were still a couple of sections that were not quite memorized and I could tell my band director was not impressed. I don’t think he thought I was really in the running. I kept listening, practicing, and playing along more than ever.

Finally, the day arrived and I was scared to death. I was so rattled that I even told my mother the wrong location of the competition (she made it a half hour after I was finished).

They drew names to determine the order and I was fourth on the list to play. I got up to play and immediately bobbled the first couple of notes of the solo. I thought that was the end for me so I relaxed and just played the rest of the solo. What I hadn’t realized was that because of the countless hours I spent listening to the recording I had the style and tone of that famous horn soloist fixed in my brain. As I played the solo, without realizing it, I was trying to play it like that soloist had in the recording. I had in my mind and my ear a concept of how the solo should be played.

In the end, I was the only winner from my school and went to NYC with the other three winners: a soprano, a cellist, and a pianist. (The trip with that group turned out to be one of the strangest weeks of my life but that is another story.) The telling of this tale is a long way to say something simple but of great importance to every musician. Take the time to listen to the great soloists, great orchestras, and great ensembles. The best way to improve your musicianship and love of music is to listen to good music as much as possible.

—Steve Sweetsir Wind Ensemble Conductor

3

tudent

potlight: Melissa Lu—My First Day at YOBC

September 13 was my first day at YOBC. I had been waiting for this moment all summer long. I don’t know how many times I tried to imagine what it would be like because I’ve never seen a Flute Choir. I wondered what we would do and who would be there. I’ve learned flute for about two years. I became an advanced player at my school when I was a 4th grader. I didn’t know if I was going to fit into this group because I might be the youngest one.

Finally the day came; I was excited and nervous at the same time.

As I approached the building, my stomach felt like it was in a huge knot but my head was pushing me into the room with excitement. The first person who welcomed me was the conductor. Quickly, I confirmed that I was indeed the youngest. Everyone but me is in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade from different schools across Bucks County. What truly amazed

me is when we started to play under the direction of our conductor, I couldn’t tell the ages anymore. The age difference that was hanging in my head all summer long instantly disappeared. The magical music moment connected us no matter how old we are!

Throughout the afternoon, we had a great time solving problems as a group. We managed to practice all five challenging pieces together. Even though we didn’t have all of the flute family instruments yet, a small group of flutists still can play the different pitches and harmonize a piece of music beautifully. Everyone there is so talented and willing to share their ability with the rest of this group. I cannot believe how much I improved in such a short period of time.

After an hour in the Flute Choir, I rushed into the Wind Symphony. Here I was going to play percussion instruments I had no idea about. When my mom signed me up, I was not happy

because I thought I was going to waste my time and the kids are all older than me. Surprisingly, I found out that everyone here is really nice and talented. The conductor was patiently teaching me how to play the triangle and cymbals. I realized that everybody in the Wind Symphony is important.

What matters is that I must count right when I play my part. My age is not a big deal!

I had a lot of fun on my first day. I even made a few friends in both ensembles. Time flew by.

Sadly, the great experience of my first day had to end. I knew in my heart this is the right place for me. I have been playing piano since I was 5. Now, instead of playing alone, I can share a music moment with a group of young and talented musicians at YOBC rehearsal time.

Melissa Lu, 10, is a 5th grader at Maureen Welch Elementary School and a member of YOBC’s Flute Choir and Wind Symphony.

Notes from the Executive Director: Choosing to Succeed Ok, we all want to be good at the things we do. Whether it is school, sports, music, or another activity, if we are doing it, we’d like to do it well.

But how does that happen? Is it talent, luck, work, a great teacher…or is there a secret? All these things can help you, but they can’t make you any better at what you do. The choices we make every day about what we do and how we do it determine our progress. What choices can we make right now to help us become better musicians?

Choose to listen. Listen to great musicians who play your instrument.

Listen to recordings of great orchestras. Go to concerts. Listening to great music fixes in your ear and mind the concept of a good, musical sound. Once you have this concept in place, it becomes your musical rudder, guiding you as you develop your Volume 1, Number 2

own sound and style. Without a mental concept in place, you are searching in the dark, striving for an undefined goal. To listen is to know.

Choose to practice with a plan.

Many times we go through the motions of practice without thinking about what we are doing. Airplane pilots have a saying: “Plan the flight and fly the plan.” Every pilot has a flight plan that maps out the course of his flight and he must follow it to reach his goal. In music, our flight plan is the printed music. Teachers may add markings and reminders to the music. Conductors may ask us to write in bowings and phrasing. You should write in anything that will help you play the passage better. This all becomes part of your musical flight plan and should be a roadmap for your practice. Too often we fix our attention on some details of the music and ignore everything else.

Pay attention not just to the notes or rhythm, but to all the markings captured on the printed music. Plan the flight and fly the plan.

Choose to aim high. If you are trying to be as good as the person next to you, you are not aiming very high. Don’t limit your possibilities with low goals. Trying to play like David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, is a better goal. Even if you don’t reach your goal, you will be a better musician for having aimed so high. There is a quotation in the Library of Congress that says, “He who builds below the stars, reaches not high enough.”

Our choices define our future.

Every action we take or don’t take is a choice. What choices do you need to make to accomplish your goals?

—Colleen Sweetsir YOBC Executive Director Page 3

252 Hollow Branch Lane Yardley, PA 19067 Email: info.yobc@gmail.com auditions@yobc.org

yobc.org

The YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (YO BC) was founded in 1991 with the sponsorship and support of Bucks County Community Co llege. Its mission is to provide talented you ng musicians in the northern suburban areas of Philadelphia with an advanced classical musical experience to augment their school mu sic programs. In 18 seasons the organization has grown from a single, 60-member ensemble to nine ensembles with nearly 200 young musicians.

More than music; more than musicians!

Meet Nicole Lambert, YOBC Flute Instructor

by Alicia Elizabeth Barry When it comes to music, the word that best describes Mrs. Lambert is passionate. From the time that she began her study of flute in ninth grade, Mrs. Lambert has loved to play and listen to music and to attend concerts and operas. Music is a part of her life that is precious to her because it gives her the opportunity to express herself.

In high school, Mrs. Lambert took lessons from a very demanding teacher to whom she attributes her excellent sight-reading ability. Even when she did not know how to play the high notes, her teacher played the duet in tempo right through to the end. That encouraged Mrs. Lambert to count measures that she could not play and to put the rests on beats that were too complicated, but never to drop out. Mrs. Lambert used the skills that she developed Page 4

with her teacher to play in the school band and at her church. She also participated in the Canadian equivalent of the All-State Festival.

Mrs. Lambert’s biggest challenge as a flautist is finding great pieces of music to play. She sometimes is envious of the fact that composers throughout the ages have favored the piano, cello, violin, and voice in their works. Her most rewarding musical experience has been performing in an

opera house in Italy. Over time, her favorite pieces of music and composers have changed. As a teenager, Mrs. Lambert loved to listen to piano music by Romantic composers such as Brahms, Chopin, Schubert, and Schumann.

Later, she became interested in the operas of Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, Rossini, and Bizet. Today, she enjoys Baroque Opera.

Mrs. Lambert is the conductor of the newly formed Chamber Flute Ensemble and Flute Choir. Her goals for the groups are to help the flautists develop the skills that will make playing together easier and more rewarding. She also hopes to help each member to become such a music lover that music becomes his or her constant companion.

Alicia Elizabeth Barry is a flautist in the YOBC Chamber Flute Ensemble and Wind Ensemble